Water Mill 2016 Aire-sur-la-Lys (4)Water Mill 2016 Aire Sur La Lys © P.hudelle Tourisme En Pays De Saint Omer (4)
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The most beautiful monuments to visit in Aire-sur-la-Lys

Aire-sur-la-Lys has earned itself the nickname of Belle du Pas-de-Calais. Although it may make you smile, this sobriquet is nevertheless quite legitimate, due in particular to the presence of its many historic monuments. What’s more, Aire-sur-la-Lys boasts a religious as well as a civil heritage in every style from classical to Flemish Renaissance. Prepare to be amazed: Aire-sur-la-Lys, a town that might just surprise you.

Saint-Jacques chapel

Dating from the 17th century, this chapel is first and foremostone of the most characteristic monuments of the Dutch Baroque styles. On the outside, the splendid white facade on three levels catches the eye in the city center. But it’s above all the interior is breathtaking: a gigantic work, La Gloire, by Magnard, at the back of the room with God looking down on us from the heavens.

La Porte de Beaulieu

The last vestige of the town’s fortifications, this pretty brick gate is located at the entrance to the town and integrated into the public garden. Letting through the Lys, inseparable from the city of Airo, the gate was even improved by Sébastien Vauban himself.

The Collegiate Church of Aire-sur-la-Lys

From Renaissance times, the Collegiate Church was considered one of the most important flamboyant monuments in the Southern Netherlands. It must be said that it is visible from afar thanks to its 65-meter height. The interior is richly decorated, with two masterpieces in particular: the 17th-century organ case from Clairmarais Abbey, and the statue of Notre-Dame Panetière, protector of the city.

Le Bailliage

The Bailliage was erected in 1600 as a guardhouse for the town’s bourgeois militia, with motifs and themes on its exterior frieze inspired by the Italian Renaissance. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1886, this Flemish Renaissance gem also features a magnificent bretèche from which the famous andouille d’Aire-sur-la-Lys is thrown during the festival devoted to it every year.

The Belfry

The monument is well known to the people of Aix-en-Provence and is inseparable from the Belle du Pas-de-Calais. What’s more, it can be visited virtually all year round, with exhibition rooms on 7 floors. At the very top, at 58 meters from the ground, the view is breathtaking with a panorama of the Pays d’Aire and Morinie.

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